


be the pirate you want to be

by marshie_marshmallow



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Edelthea Week (Fire Emblem), F/F, Harassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-21 06:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22556605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshie_marshmallow/pseuds/marshie_marshmallow
Summary: There's a ship in town that took down all its banners. That can only mean its a pirate ship.Dorothea finds that more exciting than she should.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Comments: 5
Kudos: 64





	be the pirate you want to be

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Edelthea Week Day 4: Fighting.
> 
> There ended up being a minimal amount of actual fighting because I suck at fight scenes. In general, not as happy with this as I'd hoped to be. Struggled for an ending.

The ship that landed in port had no significant banners raised, so they had likely taken them down before docking. Realistically, that meant it was more than likely an unsanctioned ship in some way. Pirates, even. That they  _ had _ taken banners down, though, meant they weren’t here to cause trouble. So there was that, at least.

Dorothea had to admit curiosity. Even if these were pirates, she had always desired to get out of the port town she had lived in all her life and see the world, so she liked observing ships that came in. Her position behind some rather tall stacks of crates on the docks gave her a decent vantage point from which to watch.

Two men, one with black hair and the other with orange, looked to be fiercely debating something. A magenta-haired woman was ensuring the security of the rigging keeping the ship on the dock. A cyan-haired man was dragging another, green-haired man and a purple-haired woman away from the ship.

A laugh bubbled up from behind her. “You seem rather interested.”

Dorothea startled and whipped around to see who had sneaked up on her. The person, as it turned out, was a white-haired woman wearing an admiral’s coat and tricorn hat. A rapier was sheathed and a gun holstered at her waist. She had her arms crossed as she looked Dorothea up and down.

“I wasn’t spying!” Dorothea said, a blush coloring her cheeks.

“I never accused you of such.” The woman said. “I understand our ship is causing a bit of a disturbance. We’ll be out of your hair in two or three days. Our sailors just needed some time on land, you see. And we needed to get some supplies.”

“You’re from that ship, then?”

The woman nodded. “That I am. I came to suggest that, if you want to watch, you at least do it out in the open. If you’re in the shadows, people might _ really _ think you’re spying. Hubert, especially. He’s paranoid like that.”

Dorothea was tempted to ask which one was Hubert but she was really more concerned with the potential implications of their ship being so paranoid. Were they pirates after all? Concerned someone might give away their location? But this woman seemed nice enough. Far nicer than Dorothea had ever imagined pirates could be, for sure.

“You’re telling me I should sit there and openly gawk at your ship?”

“If you’re out in the open, it’s much easier to ascertain your actual intentions in watching us.”

“I don’t have any intentions.”

“Precisely.”

The woman turned and walked away, leaving Dorothea in confusion. Weren’t pirates supposed to be the scourge of the seas? Raiding ships and killing innocents? Why was this lady so nice if she was a pirate? Was she wrong in her theory? Was the ship not a pirate ship, after all?

Her head hurt trying to think about it.

* * *

As much as Dorothea loved singing, providing entertainment at the local tavern to sailors and other travelers wasn’t really what she’d like to do with her life. Still, it kept her from ending up back on the streets for now, so it served its purpose. If only it paid more, she could maybe save up enough to travel somewhere far away.

With a ship in town, she naturally had to perform. The crew was surprisingly more well-behaved than most sailors she dealt with. This only raised further questions in her mind about the pirate theory. After all, if pirates cared so little about others, it would make sense they wouldn’t care about some random singer in a tavern, right?

Once she had exhausted herself and her voice, she took her seat in the darkest corner available with a mug of water. It kept her out of sight of most of the tavern’s residents but let her see almost the entire dining room.

The two men that had been arguing on the dock now sat at a table together. A third man with a mask and long ponytail sat between them, looking bored. The women with the magenta and purple hair were sitting together, the purple one looking incredibly nervous. The other two men from the docks were at a crowded table with another man, a stern-looking woman, and a teenage girl who looked like she could be related to the unidentified man. The man with the green hair from the docks seemed to be trying to fall asleep at the table.

Where was the woman from earlier? Dorothea craned her neck, trying to spot white hair or the tricorn hat. Something that would identify her. Unfortunately, the dining room was extremely crowded and she figured she had been lucky to spot the other people from earlier.

“Looking for someone?” a voice broke through the din somewhere to her right. When Dorothea looked over, there was the woman in question.

“I… Perhaps. It seems they’ve found me, however.”

The woman smiled. “If that’s the case, may I join you?”

If they  _ were _ pirates, that was just about one of the stupidest things Dorothea could let any of them do. “You may.”

“Dorothea, was it? That’s what you were introduced as, correct?” the woman asked as she sat down, getting a nod in response. “My name is Edelgard.”

“A pleasure.”

“Your singing was quite lovely. My crew seemed rather pleased by it as well.”

“ _ Your _ crew? Are you saying that you’re the captain of your ship?”

Edelgard startled. “Ah… I didn’t mean to let that slip out. You’re rather observant, I must say.”

She put a finger to her chin. “The people of your ship are a bit less… rowdy… than most crowds that I have to deal with.”

“Because if someone on my crew can’t keep their hands to themselves, I’ll flay them alive.” Edelgard gave a smile, one that was just a little bit cold. “We have morals and standards to uphold. And I won’t allow anyone on the crew to ruin them.”

“Huh.” Dorothea was even more confused now. Pirates with ‘morals and standards’ was not a concept she had ever heard of. But why would they take their banners down if they weren’t on the run from the law? “Your crew must be quite willing to listen to you.”

“We come from… a variety of different walks of life, to say the least. It’s my command that holds our ship together and it’s my command that they’ll follow.”

“How… exciting.”

“Exciting?”

Dorothea stretched her arms above her head. “It’s pretty boring here. Always has been. Realistically, I’m going to sing in this tavern a couple more years, then marry a mediocre man, have his babies, and live a mediocre life. Sometimes I wonder ‘what if I stowed away on a ship’ but that’s just going to get me thrown overboard when they find me.”

“Sounds like you would fit in with my people.”

“Really?”

“Almost every person on my ship is escaping from something. Sometimes, when you have no place else to go, the sea is your best choice.”

“Even you? Are you escaping from something?”

Edelgard quirked an eyebrow. “I’m afraid that’s information that I don’t give out to people I’ve just met. … To be honest, the ocean terrified me as a child. I wasn’t taught to swim growing up. As it is, the idea of ending up overboard unnerves me. But I don’t  _ only _ fear the ocean anymore. There’s a freedom to it as well. It’s not an easy life, though. Especially the one we lead. The open sea is dangerous. There are pirates and sea monsters… Even a bad storm could kill an entire crew. You have to maintain rations. You can go weeks without ever seeing land. Every person on a crew is expected to give it their all at all times.”

“Yes, I suppose… I know it wouldn’t be easy but… Life here isn’t exactly easy either. Not to mention, way more boring.”

“You really  _ do _ want to get out of here, don’t you?”

“More than anything.”

“What of your family? Are you that desperate to get away from them?”

“... I don’t have any. My father abandoned me when I was an infant… and my mother died when I was just a few years old.”

Edelgard frowned. “That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”

Dorothea folded her arms on the table. “What about you? What does your family think of your profession?”

A sigh and somewhat vacant gaze were the initial response. “... The only family I have left is a brother. I can’t say that he… approves of it. To be honest, he and I have not been on good terms for… a while.”

“I see. That’s too bad. Is there any way for you to ever reconcile or is just…?”

“I believe our familial relationship is one that… likely can’t be repaired.”

“Ah.” A brother that disapproved of her profession. Another one to add to the pile of evidence for them being pirates.

If they  _ were _ pirates, they were certainly far nicer than Dorothea had ever imagined pirates could be.

* * *

Walking around late at night was dangerous, especially when all one had was a single dagger. It wasn’t much for self-defense but it was all Dorothea had on her. Despite her experience with swordplay, she wasn’t in a profession - or an outfit - that lent itself to carrying swords around all day. She could do quite well in a hand-to-hand fight, too, so long as she only had a singular opponent.

Which made it quite difficult to defend herself when a few men, all at least slightly drunk, started harassing her. One she could take. Two? Probably. Three? Significantly harder. There were four of them.

“No thank you. I’m rather tired, you see. I fear I would make for boring company in my state.” One hand was kept on her dagger as the other was used to push away the men’s hands. If they got any pushier, she was  _ going _ to break somebody’s wrist.

“Aw, come on, princess,” one of the men slurred. “We’re all friends here.”

Okay, that was it. Dorothea unsheathed and held it defensively in front of her. “You can leave me alone or you can get stabbed.”

“Feisty one, ain’tcha?”

“You think you’re gonna take us all on?”

“Perhaps not by herself,” another voice cut in. It was like a miracle from the heavens. Suddenly, Edelgard was standing in front of her, sword drawn. “Are you all right, Dorothea?”

“Yes but… where did you come from?”

“I happened to be passing by on my way back to the ship. I can spot a bad situation when I see one. I can handle these lowlifes.”

“Uh, this is  _ my _ fight.”

“Then I suppose we’ll have to deal with them together.” Edelgard turned back to the men. “I suggest you leave. Now.”

“And who are you to think you can scare me?”

Edelgard gave the tiniest hint of a smirk. “Does the name Hresvelg ring any bells?”

“Hresvelg?”

“Yes, as in  _ Captain _ Hresvelg of the Black Eagle.”

“The- the Flame Captain?”

One of the men went white. Dorothea herself was trying to process that particular revelation. The Black Eagle was one of the most infamous pirate ships around and the bounty that was out for Captain Hresvelg - for Edelgard - was steep. She had figured their profession, of course, but that ship was considered a scourge of the sea in its own right, rather than just as a general problem with the plague of pirates.

The fear that was on the men’s faces only seemed to fuel Edelgard’s confidence as she stepped forward, rapier held in front of her. “Last chance,” she said. “Run now if you want to escape unharmed.”

“Fuck you. Hell, if we could take you out, the price on your head is…”

Edelgard thrust her rapier forward, tearing the man’s shirt. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Dorothea took that as her cue to step up beside Edelgard, dagger clutched in her fist.

The men proved incredibly stupid in their drunken states. Not only did they think it was a good idea to take an infamous pirate captain, but half of them were also unarmed. It honestly didn’t take much to get most of them down.

Edelgard was a skilled sword-fighter. Though, she would have to be given her profession. Dorothea herself was evidently impressive if the look on Edelgard’s face was any indication. She wondered what sort of reaction she’d get from showing off her actual sword skills.

The men, after recognizing that these two women could well and truly kill them, took off into the night. Edelgard looked ready to give chase but seemed hesitant to leave Dorothea behind.

“Go after them,” Dorothea encouraged.

“No, it’s not- I need to make sure you get home.”

“Awful polite for a pirate captain, aren’t you?”

“Ah.. yes. But there will be time to discuss… that… later.”

“Captain!”

Three more people approached from the darkness as the men scattered. Three of the Black Eagle’s crewmates. Three more pirates.

“Petra, Linhardt, Caspar,” Edelgard greeted. “You’re right on time.”

“We were realizing that there was a fight,” Petra said. “Are you needing help?”

“I am. Petra, Linhardt, you take care of Dorothea. Help her get home. Caspar, come with me. I’m going to see if I can chase those men down.”

“Of course!”

“As you say, Captain.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

Edelgard didn’t wait for Dorothea to say anything else as she ran off, Caspar on her heels.

* * *

Dorothea didn’t remember much else of the trip home. The landlady frowned at her for coming in so late again, even though it was a bit of a necessity given her job, and warned her not to disturb the other tenants. Again. As if she had ever not been careful to be quiet on the way to her room.

She hated the landlady. She hated how the damn lock on her room’s door didn’t work properly. She hated singing in a tavern. She hated that this was hardly the first night she had been harassed on her way home. She hated that she was inevitably going to live a boring, unfulfilling life in this town.

Once she was in her room and the door shut behind her, her eyes wandered to her sword. It was a simple thing. Practical. She should really start carrying it around everywhere but that was something she always told herself. She was never in a good position - or outfit - to carry it around all the time.

Edelgard was probably the nicest person she had met, defending her like that. But Edelgard was a pirate. One with a reputation for setting ships and churches on fire, hence her nickname. But… she was so friendly and her crew was so well-behaved. More behaved than most people Dorothea had ever come across.

A crew of people running away from things that they were desperate enough to become outlaws. People from all walks of life, Edelgard had said. What could make a person that eager to get away from their situation?

At that moment, Dorothea knew the answer to that question.

* * *

The next morning saw Dorothea arrive at the docks bright and early. All her belongings - of which she didn’t have many - were packed away in her bag. Her dress had been traded for a simple set of trousers, a shirt, and her good, sturdy boots. Her sword belt was fastened around her waist and her sword and dagger both sheathed.

The crew of the Black Eagle was already up and moving around. The ginger man was overseeing crew members loading supplies onto the ship. Petra was working the rigging. The black-haired man was shouting orders on the deck. Edelgard stood on the dock, arms crossed.

They were leaving. Dorothea had made a good call in bringing everything with her immediately.

“Edelgard!” she shouted.

Edelgard turned around. She seemed a bit confused upon spotting Dorothea’s bag. “What brings you here?”

“I’ll get to that in a moment. You’re leaving already? You only just arrived in town.”

“Yes, and we got the supplies we need. Legally. Don’t worry.”

“That’s not what I meant. You expect me to believe you didn’t intend to stay for two or three days?”

Edelgard bit her lip. “To be honest, one of those men rode out of town. He most likely went to alert the authorities that we’re here. The Black Eagle has to depart immediately if we’re to get a headstart on the navy and privateers that will inevitably come after us. I’m sure the Blue Lion will be hot on our trail once they get word of our location.”

“The Blue Lion…”

“Privateers with a grudge against us. That’s… all I’ll say on the matter. Now, tell me: why are you here with a packed bag?”

Dorothea took a deep breath. “Take me with you.”

“... That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”

“‘Almost everyone on this crew is running from something.’ That’s what you said, right? Well, I’m running away from this town.”

“You realize this is a rash decision, correct?”

“I’m not going to get another chance at this. Besides, I’m almost due for rent again. It’s not like I’m wasting a month’s worth of rent money by running away and joining you.”

“Every day is a fight for our lives.”

“Honestly, so is every day here. Last night was hardly an uncommon occurrence.”

“When I said people were running, I meant things like ‘escaping arranged marriage’ or ‘succession crises in their home had made it unsafe for them to stay.’”

“And I’m not exactly living the safest life here. I’m coming with you.”

“That’s- I can’t say you’d be the first person to join on such short notice but I will say that Ferdinand and Hubert will get mad at me again. They’re the quartermaster and the first mate, so one is supposed to make sure we have enough supplies for the crew and the other is my second-in-command.”

“Ferdinand’s the pompous-looking ginger over there, isn’t he?”

Edelgard shook her head. “He’s not that bad. But you’re right that it’s him. Normally, I would check with him and Hubert before deciding to bring any crew members aboard but… we don’t have time for that right now.”

“Edelgard, I am be _ gging _ you.  _ Get me out of here. _ ”

“I…” Edelgard looked conflicted. “Your sword. How well can you use it?”

“Better than I could my dagger and fists?”

“What other skills do you have that can help on the ship?”

“Don’t know for certain. Never been part of a ship’s crew. But I’m a quick study. I can catch on.”

“Can you swim?”

“I can at least keep myself afloat.”

“Are you prepared for the whole world to despise you? It’s not a reputation you’ll be able to escape if you join us.”

“I grew up a street rat. It’s nothing new to me.”

“... I suppose there’s no reason to reject you.”

“Is that a yes?”

“You’re  _ absolutely _ certain-”

“ _ Yes _ , Edelgard. Get me the  _ fuck _ out of this town.”

Edelgard nodded. “Then there’s nothing else to say. I’ll go talk to Hubert and see about arranging a hammock and sea chest for you. You’ll have to share sleeping quarters with most of the crew but they’re all well-behaved.”

“Extraordinarily so, especially for pirates.”

“As I said, I keep them in line.” She extended a hand. “Well, then… Welcome to the crew.”

As Dorothea shook the offered hand, she knew in her heart that she wouldn’t regret this decision. Not so long as it was  _ Edelgard’s _ crew.


End file.
